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Facts about Versailles

Versailles

The Palace of Versailles (in French: Chвteau de Versailles, or simply Versailles) is a royal chateau in Versailles, France.

Versailles

When the chateau was built, Versailles was a country village, but it is now a suburb of Paris.

Versailles

From 1682, when King Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in 1789, the Court of Versailles was the center of power in Ancien Rйgime France.

Versailles

The earliest mention of the village of Versailles is found in a document dated 1038, the Charter of the Abbey of Saint-Pиre de Chartres (Charte de l'abbaye Saint-Pиre de Chartres).

Versailles

Eight years later, in 1632, Louis obtained the estate of Versailles from the Gondi family and began to make enlargements to the chateau.

Versailles

Of the signatories of the charter was one Hugo de Versailles, hence the name of the village.

Versailles

Versailles remained both royal and unused through the Restoration.

Versailles

From this point, the construction and expansion at Versailles became synonymous with the absolutism of Louis XIV.

Versailles

one of the more physical sports, is one of the four major professional sports, and is represented by the National Hockey League (NHL) at its highest level.

Versailles

Versailles is famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy which Louis XIV espoused.

Versailles

During the reign of Louis XIV, Versailles saw no fewer than five chapels.

Versailles

The restored state of the rooms that one sees today at Versailles replicate the Small Queen's Suite as it probably looked during Marie-Antoinette’s day when these rooms served the queen’s daily private life.

Versailles

Under the direction of the architect, Jules Hardouin Mansart, the palace of Versailles acquired much of the look that it has today.

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Louis's successor, Louis XIV, took a great interest in Versailles.

Versailles

During her life at Versailles, Marie Leszczyska (1703-1768) lived in the Queen's Suite, to which she annexed the Salon of Peace (salon de la paix) to serve as a music room.

Versailles

Versailles became the home of the French nobility and the location of the royal court—thus becoming the center of French government.

Versailles

Following the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678, the court and French government began to be moved to Versailles.

image: l7.alamy.com
Versailles

Soon after the crushing defeat of the War of the League of Augsburg (1688-1697) and owing possibly to the pious influence of Madame de Maintenon, Louis XIV undertook his last building campaign at Versailles.

Versailles

Louis' reasoning for moving the court and seat of the French government to Versailles was that he could effectively control the government single-handedly if it was housed in one place.

Versailles

In 1575, Albert de Gondi, a Florentine, purchased the estate (seigneury) of Versailles.

Versailles

The grounds of Versailles contain one of the largest formal gardens ever created, with extensive horticulture, fountains, and canals, designed by Andrй Le Nфtre.